CN107942318B - Method and apparatus for wireless vehicle positioning assistance - Google Patents
Method and apparatus for wireless vehicle positioning assistance Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- CN107942318B CN107942318B CN201710940213.6A CN201710940213A CN107942318B CN 107942318 B CN107942318 B CN 107942318B CN 201710940213 A CN201710940213 A CN 201710940213A CN 107942318 B CN107942318 B CN 107942318B
- Authority
- CN
- China
- Prior art keywords
- vehicle
- wireless
- antenna
- signal
- user device
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Active
Links
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 title claims abstract description 62
- 238000004891 communication Methods 0.000 claims description 24
- 230000004044 response Effects 0.000 claims description 13
- 230000000737 periodic effect Effects 0.000 claims description 4
- 230000008569 process Effects 0.000 description 43
- 230000015654 memory Effects 0.000 description 7
- 230000010287 polarization Effects 0.000 description 7
- 230000002085 persistent effect Effects 0.000 description 6
- 230000010267 cellular communication Effects 0.000 description 5
- 230000001413 cellular effect Effects 0.000 description 5
- 238000012545 processing Methods 0.000 description 5
- 238000001514 detection method Methods 0.000 description 4
- 239000003550 marker Substances 0.000 description 3
- 238000012546 transfer Methods 0.000 description 3
- 238000013459 approach Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000008859 change Effects 0.000 description 2
- 230000003287 optical effect Effects 0.000 description 2
- 230000000007 visual effect Effects 0.000 description 2
- 208000036829 Device dislocation Diseases 0.000 description 1
- 239000008186 active pharmaceutical agent Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000008901 benefit Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000005540 biological transmission Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000015572 biosynthetic process Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000001934 delay Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000005516 engineering process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000000977 initiatory effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000003993 interaction Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000006855 networking Effects 0.000 description 1
- 229920002239 polyacrylonitrile Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 201000006292 polyarteritis nodosa Diseases 0.000 description 1
- 230000008054 signal transmission Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000007787 solid Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000001228 spectrum Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000003786 synthesis reaction Methods 0.000 description 1
Classifications
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
- H04W4/00—Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
- H04W4/02—Services making use of location information
- H04W4/023—Services making use of location information using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01S—RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES
- G01S11/00—Systems for determining distance or velocity not using reflection or reradiation
- G01S11/02—Systems for determining distance or velocity not using reflection or reradiation using radio waves
- G01S11/06—Systems for determining distance or velocity not using reflection or reradiation using radio waves using intensity measurements
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01S—RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES
- G01S3/00—Direction-finders for determining the direction from which infrasonic, sonic, ultrasonic, or electromagnetic waves, or particle emission, not having a directional significance, are being received
- G01S3/02—Direction-finders for determining the direction from which infrasonic, sonic, ultrasonic, or electromagnetic waves, or particle emission, not having a directional significance, are being received using radio waves
- G01S3/14—Systems for determining direction or deviation from predetermined direction
- G01S3/28—Systems for determining direction or deviation from predetermined direction using amplitude comparison of signals derived simultaneously from receiving antennas or antenna systems having differently-oriented directivity characteristics
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01S—RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES
- G01S5/00—Position-fixing by co-ordinating two or more direction or position line determinations; Position-fixing by co-ordinating two or more distance determinations
- G01S5/02—Position-fixing by co-ordinating two or more direction or position line determinations; Position-fixing by co-ordinating two or more distance determinations using radio waves
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
- H04W4/00—Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
- H04W4/02—Services making use of location information
- H04W4/029—Location-based management or tracking services
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
- H04W4/00—Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
- H04W4/30—Services specially adapted for particular environments, situations or purposes
- H04W4/40—Services specially adapted for particular environments, situations or purposes for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
- H04W4/00—Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
- H04W4/80—Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
Abstract
The present disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for wireless vehicle positioning assistance. A system includes a processor configured to determine that a vehicle is in a parked state. The processor is further configured to: user device wireless signals at one or more vehicle antennas are detected. The processor is further configured to: a primary return vector antenna is determined based on the detected user device wireless signals and vehicle wireless signals are periodically broadcast through the one or more vehicle antennas, wherein if more than one vehicle antenna is present, the processor is configured to broadcast vehicle wireless signals through the primary return vector antenna at a higher frequency. A mobile device may responsively operate on the received signals to provide an indication of vehicle positioning that aids in directionality.
Description
Technical Field
The illustrative embodiments generally relate to a method and apparatus for wireless vehicle location assistance.
Background
The situation experienced by many driving adults is that: the driver parks the vehicle in a certain location, enters a store or mall, and may then hardly remember where the vehicle is parked. In addition, parking a vehicle in a relatively empty field (but stopping on-site with other vehicles while returning) may result in substantial confusion regarding where the driver is parked.
A common solution to this problem is: the driver presses the "lock" button on the key fob, which causes the vehicle to sound a horn or alarm or flash a light if the vehicle is nearby. However, if the vehicle is too far away, or if multiple users attempt to locate the vehicle in this manner at the same time, the solution may not achieve the desired results.
Another attempted solution to this problem includes: once the vehicle is parked, the vehicle reports coordinates to the mobile device and the mobile device user finds the vehicle using the coordinates. This may work well in certain situations, but if the phone is turned off when the vehicle is parked, or other communication errors occur later, the user may rely on the system but find that the coordinates have never been recorded.
Disclosure of Invention
In a first illustrative embodiment, a system includes a processor configured to: it is determined that the vehicle is in a parked state. The processor is further configured to: user device wireless signals at one or more vehicle antennas are detected. The processor is further configured to: a primary return vector antenna is determined based on the detected user device wireless signals and vehicle wireless signals are periodically broadcast through the one or more vehicle antennas, wherein if more than one vehicle antenna is present, the processor is configured to broadcast vehicle wireless signals through the primary return vector antenna at a higher frequency.
In a second illustrative embodiment, a processor is configured to receive wireless signals at a plurality of mobile device antennas. The processor is further configured to: the strength of the received wireless signal at each mobile device antenna is determined. The processor is further configured to: a time delay between wireless signal reception times at each mobile device antenna is determined. The processor is further configured to: a polarization of the received wireless signal at each mobile device antenna is determined and the strength of the received wireless signal, the time delay, and the polarization of the received wireless signal are combined to determine a distance and direction from the mobile device location to the vehicle broadcasting the wireless signal.
In a third illustrative embodiment, a computer implemented method includes: in response to a vehicle-based determination of a wireless vehicle antenna of a plurality of wireless vehicle antennas corresponding to a user departure vector, periodically broadcasting a vehicle location signal via the plurality of wireless vehicle antennas, wherein the broadcasting includes broadcasting at an increased frequency through the wireless vehicle antenna corresponding to the user departure vector.
According to one embodiment of the application, the method further comprises: a wireless vehicle antenna corresponding to a user departure vector is determined based on which wireless vehicle antenna of the plurality of wireless vehicle antennas last detected the wireless signal from the user device before no wireless vehicle antenna detected the wireless signal from the user device.
According to one embodiment of the application, the method further comprises: an antenna corresponding to a user departure vector is determined based on which of the plurality of wireless vehicle antennas detected the strongest wireless signal from the user device before no wireless vehicle antenna detected the wireless signal from the user device.
Drawings
FIG. 1 shows an illustrative vehicle computing system;
FIG. 2 shows an illustrative process for vehicle reporting configuration;
FIG. 3 shows an illustrative process for responding to a reported vehicle position signal.
Detailed Description
Specific embodiments are disclosed herein as needed; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely illustrative and may be embodied in various and alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale; some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the claimed subject matter.
FIG. 1 illustrates an example block topology of a vehicle-based computing system (VCS) 1 for a vehicle 31. An example of such a vehicle-based computing system 1 is the SYNC system manufactured by Ford Motor company. A vehicle provided with a vehicle-based computing system may include a visual front end interface 4 located in the vehicle. The user is also able to interact with the interface if the interface is provided with, for example, a touch sensitive screen. In another illustrative embodiment, the interaction is performed by a button press, spoken language conversation system with automatic speech recognition and speech synthesis.
In the illustrative embodiment 1 shown in fig. 1, the processor 3 controls at least a portion of the operation of a vehicle-based computing system. A processor disposed within the vehicle allows for onboard processing of commands and routines. In addition, the processor is connected to both the non-persistent memory 5 and the persistent memory 7. In this illustrative embodiment, the non-persistent store is a Random Access Memory (RAM) and the persistent store is a Hard Disk Drive (HDD) or flash memory. In general, persistent (non-transitory) memory may include all forms of memory that hold data when a computer or other device is powered down. These memories include, but are not limited to: HDD, CD, DVD, magnetic tape, solid state drive, portable USB drive, and any other suitable form of persistent memory.
The processor is also provided with a plurality of different inputs allowing a user to interact with the processor. In this illustrative embodiment, microphone 29, auxiliary input 25 (for input 33), USB input 23, GPS input 24, screen 4 (which may be a touch screen display), and Bluetooth input 15 are all provided. An input selector 51 is also provided to allow the user to switch between various inputs. Inputs to both the microphone and the auxiliary connector are analog-to-digital converted by a converter 27 before being transmitted to the processor. Although not shown, numerous vehicle components and auxiliary components in communication with the VCS may use a vehicle network (such as, but not limited to, a CAN bus) to transmit data to and from the VCS (or components thereof).
The output of the system may include, but is not limited to, the visual display 4 and the speaker 13 or stereo system output. The speaker is connected to an amplifier 11 and receives its signal from the processor 3 through a digital to analog converter 9. Outputs to a remote bluetooth device, such as a Personal Navigation Device (PND) 54, or a USB device, such as a car navigation device 60, may also be generated along the bi-directional data streams shown at 19 and 21, respectively.
In one illustrative embodiment, the system 1 uses the Bluetooth transceiver 15 to communicate 17 with a user's mobile device 53 (e.g., a cellular telephone, a smart phone, a PDA, or any other device with wireless remote network connection capability). The mobile device may then be used to communicate 59 with a network 61 external to the vehicle 31, such as by communication 55 with a cellular tower 57. In some embodiments, the cell tower 57 may be a WiFi access point.
An exemplary communication between the mobile device and the bluetooth transceiver is represented by signal 14.
Pairing the mobile device 53 with the bluetooth transceiver 15 may be indicated by a button 52 or similar input. Accordingly, the CPU is instructed such that the onboard bluetooth transceiver will pair with the bluetooth transceiver in the mobile device.
Data may be transferred between CPU3 and network 61 using, for example, a data plan, data over speech, or DTMF tones associated with mobile device 53. Alternatively, it may be desirable to include an onboard modem 63 with an antenna 18 to transfer data (16) between the CPU3 and the network 61 over the voice band. The mobile device 53 may then be used to communicate 59 with a network 61 external to the vehicle 31, such as through communication 55 with a cellular tower 57. In some embodiments, modem 63 may establish communication 20 with cellular tower 57 for communication with network 61. As a non-limiting example, modem 63 may be a USB cellular modem and communication 20 may be cellular communication.
In one illustrative embodiment, the processor is provided with an operating system that includes an API for communicating with modem application software. The modem application software may access an embedded module or firmware on the bluetooth transceiver to complete wireless communication with a remote bluetooth transceiver (such as provided in a mobile device). Bluetooth is a subset of the IEEE 802PAN (personal area network) protocol. The IEEE 802LAN (local area network) protocol includes WiFi and has considerable cross-functionality with IEEE 802 PANs. Both are suitable for wireless communication within the vehicle. Another communication scheme that may be used in this field is free-space optical communication (such as IrDA) and non-standardized consumer Infrared (IR) protocols.
In another embodiment, mobile device 53 includes a modem for voice band or broadband data communications. In the data-over-speech embodiment, a technique known as frequency division multiplexing may be implemented when the owner of the mobile device can speak through the device while the data is being transmitted. At other times, the data transfer may use the entire bandwidth (300 Hz to 3.4kHz in one example) when the owner is not using the device. Although frequency division multiplexing may be common and still in use for analog cellular communication between vehicles and the internet, it has been largely replaced by a hybrid of code-domain multiple access (CDMA), time-domain multiple access (TDMA), space-domain multiple access (SDMA) for digital cellular communication. If the user has a data plan associated with the mobile device, the data may be planned to allow broadband transmission and the system may use much wider bandwidth (speed up data transfer). In another embodiment, the mobile device 53 is replaced with a cellular communication device (not shown) mounted to the vehicle 31. In another embodiment, the mobile device (ND) 53 may be a wireless Local Area Network (LAN) device capable of communicating over, for example, and without limitation, an 802.11g network (i.e., wiFi) or a WiMax network.
In one embodiment, incoming data may be passed through the mobile device, through the onboard bluetooth transceiver, and into the vehicle's internal processor 3 via on-the-fly data or data plan. For example, in the case of certain temporary data, the data may be stored on the HDD or other storage medium 7 until such time as the data is no longer needed.
Other sources that may interact with the vehicle include: personal navigation device 54 having, for example, a USB connection 56 and/or antenna 58, a vehicle navigation device 60 having a USB 62 or other connection, an on-board GPS device 24, or a remote navigation system (not shown) having a connection to a network 61. USB is one type of serial networking protocol. IEEE 1394 (fire wire) TM (apple), i.LINK TM (Sony) and Lynx TM (texas instruments)), EIA (electronics industry association) serial protocol, IEEE 1284 (Centronics port), S/PDIF (sony/philips digital interconnect format), and USB-IF (USB developer forum) form the backbone of the device-to-device serial standard. Most protocols may be implemented for electrical or optical communications.
In addition, the CPU may communicate with various other auxiliary devices 65. These devices may be connected by a wireless connection 67 or a wired connection 69. The auxiliary device 65 may include, but is not limited to, a personal media player, a wireless healthcare device, a portable computer, and the like.
Additionally or alternatively, the CPU may be connected to a vehicle-based wireless router 73 using, for example, a WiFi (IEEE 802.11) transceiver 71. This may allow the CPU to connect to a remote network within range of the local router 73.
In addition to the exemplary process being performed by a vehicle computing system located in the vehicle, in particular embodiments, the exemplary process may also be performed by a computing system in communication with the vehicle computing system. Such a system may include, but is not limited to, a wireless device (e.g., without limitation, a mobile phone) or a remote computing system (e.g., without limitation, a server) connected by a wireless device. Such systems may be collectively referred to as Vehicle Associated Computing Systems (VACS). In particular embodiments, particular components of the VACS may perform particular portions of the processing according to particular implementations of the system. By way of example and not limitation, if a process has a step of transmitting or receiving information with a paired wireless device, it is likely that the wireless device will not perform this portion of the process because the wireless device will not "transmit and receive" information with itself. Those of ordinary skill in the art will understand when a particular computing system is unsuitable for use with a given solution.
In each of the illustrative embodiments discussed herein, an illustrative, non-limiting example of a process that may be performed by a computing system is shown. For each process, it is possible that the computing system executing the process becomes a dedicated processor configured to execute the process for the limited purpose of executing the process. All of the processing need not be performed in its entirety, and should be understood to be examples of the various types of processing that may be performed to implement elements of the application. Additional steps may be added or removed from the exemplary process as desired.
For the illustrative embodiments depicted in the figures showing illustrative process flows, it is noted that a general purpose processor may be temporarily used as a special purpose processor for the purpose of performing some or all of the exemplary methods shown by these figures. When executing code that provides instructions for performing some or all of the steps of the method, the processor may be temporarily changed to a dedicated processor until the method is complete. In another example, firmware running in accordance with a pre-configured processor may, to an appropriate extent, cause the processor to act as a special purpose processor provided for the purpose of performing the method and some reasonable variation of the method.
Many people experience frustration in remembering the vehicle's parking location for a while. In addition to causing time delays, the inability to find vehicles can cause significant inconvenience and burden, particularly when carrying the load of heavy packages in severe weather. While GPS-based vehicle positioning solutions may help to find vehicles, to some extent, this process may be limited due to communication of initial coordinates, perhaps more clearly, when in a parking garage, the coordinates may not be available or usable due to multiple floors of the parking garage.
The illustrative embodiments propose to use wireless signals, such as Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), to communicate with mobile devices and identify vehicle location. This solution can be used underground without GPS and does not require information (such as vehicle coordinates) to be recorded on the mobile device when the vehicle is parked. Although BLE is used in the illustrated example, similar wireless technologies that provide similar detection capabilities may also be used. The BLE device may be powered by a button cell that will last for one year and may even simply be glued to the vehicle. In this case, the cable of the vehicle only needs to support the application using CAN bus data.
The vehicle manufacturer may provide multiple BLE antennas to the vehicle for use in connection with the illustrative embodiments (and other BLE related solutions). Similarly, a smartphone or other wireless device may have multiple BLE antennas for receiving BLE signals. In one example, the vehicle has four BLE directional antennas facing outward in four directions at an angle of about 90 degrees to each other such that the entire perimeter (circle) of the vehicle is addressed. These antennas may be polarized. The polarized antenna transmits a polarized signal and receives a polarized signal having the same polarization. The right-hand circularly polarized wave is reflected as a left-hand polarized wave and vice versa. An antenna element designed to receive a right-hand circularly polarized carrier will filter out reflected signals from a right-hand circularly polarized transmitter. If the receiver is switched (by switching the antenna element) from right-hand polarization to left-hand polarization, the receiver will only receive the reflected signal. If the direct signal is lost (typically because of an obstacle), a selection may be made to navigate through the reflected signal until the direct signal is received.
With previous pairing or settings, the vehicle may also know the BLE identity of the mobile device (and vice versa). In the illustrative example, the vehicle will track the direction of the user away from the vehicle, although it is not necessary (in the case that the device is turned off when the user leaves the vehicle). This may be achieved by tracking the communication between the device and the BLE antenna when the user leaves. The vehicle may then selectively and periodically send out a BLE signal through each antenna for the user to detect when the user returns, in some cases sending more frequent signals through the antenna corresponding to the direction closest to the user's departure.
When the user approaches the vehicle and comes within range of the signal, an application running on the mobile device detects the signal from the vehicle BLE antenna. For example, a mobile device may have three BLE directional antennas provided to the mobile device. Depending on which antenna received the signal (or which antenna received the signal first), the application may determine the direction of the vehicle. The application can determine the approximate distance based on the signal strength, and the polarization of the signal helps the application determine whether the signal is received directly or via reflection. Such combined information may provide enough data for the application to present indicia of the direction of the vehicle relative to the current location and possible distances to the vehicle. If the exact distance cannot be calculated, the mobile device may use changing indicia (such as brighter or darker indicia, a gradual color change, numbers displayed and changed, a change in the line width of the display, etc.) to inform the user that the signal is getting weaker or stronger.
This solution should be effective even in underground garages where no external wireless signal (e.g., GPS signal) is present. The application may help the user to quickly find the vehicle by providing directions and distances. This also avoids any concern about alerting a potential attacker that a person is going to a vehicle identified by flashing lights and horns (in the case that the person is looking for a vehicle using the "press lock/alarm button" method).
FIG. 2 shows an illustrative process for vehicle reporting configuration. In this example, the process attempts to determine the primary direction of the broadcast detection signal. At 201, the process receives an indication to park a vehicle, which in this example includes a user parking the vehicle in a parking lot. Other indications may include, for example, reaching a destination on a navigation application and/or driver door opening and closing.
The process then attempts to communicate with the user device 203 (assuming such communication has not been established through device pairing). An application running on the device to assist in vehicle positioning may also identify the parking status and instruct communication with the vehicle computer to facilitate setup.
When the device is not moved out of range at 205, the vehicle communicates with an application running on the device at 207. In other examples, the vehicle may detect only signals from the device at one or more antennas. At 209, the process may record the user device departure vector.
Once the device moves out of range, or at any other reasonable time, the process begins broadcasting a signal through the vehicle antenna at 211. At 213, the process may designate the antenna from which the signal was last detected as the primary return vector antenna or the antenna from which the strongest signal was received as the primary return vector antenna. When the device is within range, the device receives these signals and an application on the device processes the signals to determine the distance and/or direction of the vehicle. In this example, the process begins at 215 with the primary return vector antenna broadcasting a signal, which may be, for example, the antenna that last received the device signal before the device moved out of range or the antenna that received the strongest device signal.
If no response is received from the device at 217, the process may wait for an appropriate period of time and then broadcast the signal over a non-primary return vector antenna (one of the other antennas) at 219. A new non-primary return vector antenna is then selected for later broadcasting (if needed) at 221, and the process waits again for a response at 223.
The vehicle may also be identified by transmitting a BLE signal without interacting (responding) with the device. The response allows focusing (focus) the broadcast signal, but does not necessarily use the BLE signal broadcast by the vehicle to identify the vehicle location.
In this example, the process loops between broadcasting through the primary return vector antenna and broadcasting through the antennas other than the primary return vector antenna such that most of the signal broadcasts come from the primary return vector antenna. Any reasonable variation strategy may be used if the variation happens to be desired.
The BLE in the present application is primarily a beacon protocol supported by a Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) modulated BLE advertisement message. The message is sent but no acknowledgement is expected. The received information is not acknowledged. Because the beacon messages are short, the coherence time in a multipath environment is improved (reflections have less impact because messages received through the direct path are more likely to be received completely before the reflected signal arrives).
The range is typically estimated using a received signal strength indication (Received Signal Strength Indication, RSSI) reported by the radio to the software application. If the signal is weak, the RSSI is low, and if the signal is strong, the RSSI is large. The RSSI at each antenna may be reported as follows.
Further, in this example, the user device responds once it detects a BLE signal from the vehicle. At 225, the vehicle may use the response to lock on to the broadcasting antenna, which may be assumed to be the antenna that last broadcast the BLE signal. In this example, the process provides a sufficient time delay between signal broadcasts such that the response will explicitly identify which signal to use based on the last broadcasted signal. In other examples with more frequent broadcasts, the broadcasted signal may include some indicia of which antenna was used to transmit the signal, so the device may identify via the response which signal was detected.
Once the vehicle has locked to the appropriate antenna, the process may send a signal via only the antenna (until, for example, a door opening or other entry event is detected) at 227. If the driver walks out of the signal range, the process may resume broadcasting through all antennas or selected antennas that may represent the current driver location. In the case where the process anticipates periodic responses as the user approaches the vehicle, for example, a signal loss may be detected if the vehicle no longer detects a signal from the user device, or if the user device stops responding.
FIG. 3 shows an illustrative process for responding to a reported vehicle position signal. In this illustrative example, the process (executing on a mobile device) searches for a signal from a vehicle at 301. Once the process detects a signal (in this case a BLE signal), the process determines if the signal is detected by all device antennas at 303.
In this example, since the process responds with a request for lock signal transmission at 304, the process responds to the detection of the signal by sending a request to the vehicle to continue using the antenna currently broadcasting. The response is not necessarily an explicit request; it may also be a simple response to detecting the signal.
The process then determines which device antenna is receiving the strongest signal at 305. Assuming that this is not a reflected signal, the antenna may be closest to the vehicle, and thus the process may establish the initial direction of the vehicle. Based on which antenna receives the second strongest non-reflected signal, the device may determine a second direction vector and the combined two signals may establish the general direction of the vehicle. The device also determines 307 the time difference of signal reception and this information can be used to refine the direction of the vehicle. If one or more of the received signals are reflected signals, the process may also use the polarization information to determine a direction by identifying the direction of the signal source away from the reflected signals 309.
For non-reflected signals, at least the signal strength and the time of determination (timing) can also be used to approximate the distance to the vehicle. Moreover, once the user moves the mobile device, the process may refine the direction and/or distance using the variance in the signal variable. All of these inputs are combined at 311 to produce the desired direction marker at 319 and the desired distance marker (or distance display) at 321 (in the event that it is determined at 315 that the data is clear). If one or more signals are reflected at 313, the process may instruct the user to turn away from the reflected signal at 317, wherein the process may also be accomplished by placing a directional marker displayed on the device in a direction away from the reflected signal.
For example, the process may continue to receive signals and display appropriate indicia until the user reaches the vehicle and enters the vehicle or the user disables the application.
While the illustrative examples relate to a vehicle having four directional antennas and a mobile device having three directional antennas, more or fewer directional antennas may be used on any one device, thereby improving or reducing accuracy and detectability, respectively. By detecting signal features and processing these features, the user can quickly locate the direction to the vehicle and the distance to the vehicle. Since the vehicle (in this example) periodically broadcasts the detection signal, no explicit connection needs to be established with the vehicle to start broadcasting. In other examples, some longer range forms of communication (e.g., cellular communication) may be used to instruct the vehicle to begin broadcasting. Which solution is used may depend on a tradeoff of responsive signal broadcasting (in response to a request for initiation) versus power conservation represented by continuous periodic signal broadcasting, although the impact of power used in periodic broadcasting is insignificant, certain aspects of the solution may benefit from not requiring vehicles to be able to receive longer range communications (e.g., where the vehicle is located in a deeper garage).
While exemplary embodiments are described above, it is not intended that these embodiments describe all possible forms of the application. Rather, the words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the application. Furthermore, the features of the various implemented embodiments may be logically combined to yield a contextually appropriate modification of the embodiments described herein.
Claims (10)
1. A system for vehicle positioning assistance, comprising:
a processor configured to:
detecting user device wireless signals at a plurality of vehicle antennas;
determining a primary return vector antenna based on the detected user device wireless signal;
periodically broadcasting vehicle wireless signals through the plurality of vehicle antennas, wherein the processor is configured to broadcast vehicle wireless signals at a higher frequency through the primary return vector antenna;
detecting communication of a vehicle wireless signal from the user device acknowledging receipt; and
and responsively begin broadcasting at a higher frequency through the vehicle antenna that transmits the vehicle wireless signal received by the user device.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to: after the driver's door has been opened and closed, a user device wireless signal is detected.
3. The system of claim 1, wherein the user device wireless signal is a bluetooth low energy signal.
4. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle wireless signal is a bluetooth low energy signal.
5. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to: if the user device wireless signal cannot be detected, a primary return vector antenna is determined based on the antenna closest to the business region identified via the map data.
6. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to: after broadcasting at a higher frequency in response, a communication loss with the user device is detected and periodically broadcasting the signal is restarted through more than one of the plurality of vehicle antennas.
7. The system of claim 6, wherein the processor is configured to: when the periodic broadcast is restarted, the signal is broadcast by the antenna transmitting the vehicle wireless signal received by the user device and the antenna closest to each side of the antenna transmitting the vehicle wireless signal received by the user device in the circumferential direction.
8. A method for vehicle positioning assistance, comprising:
in response to a vehicle-based determination of a wireless vehicle antenna of a plurality of wireless vehicle antennas corresponding to a user departure vector, periodically broadcasting a vehicle location signal via the plurality of wireless vehicle antennas, wherein the broadcasting includes broadcasting at an increased frequency through the wireless vehicle antenna corresponding to the user departure vector, wherein the user departure vector is designated as a primary return vector;
detecting communication of a vehicle position signal from the user device confirming receipt; and is also provided with
And responsively begin broadcasting at a higher frequency through the wireless vehicle antenna that transmits the vehicle position signal received by the user device.
9. The method of claim 8, the method further comprising: before no wireless vehicle antenna detects a wireless signal from the user device, a wireless vehicle antenna corresponding to a user departure vector is determined based on a wireless vehicle antenna of the plurality of wireless vehicle antennas that last detected the wireless signal from the user device.
10. The method of claim 8, the method further comprising: before no wireless vehicle antenna detects a wireless signal from the user device, a wireless vehicle antenna corresponding to a user departure vector is determined based on the wireless vehicle antenna of the plurality of wireless vehicle antennas that detected the strongest wireless signal from the user device.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US15/291,779 US10057728B2 (en) | 2016-10-12 | 2016-10-12 | Method and apparatus for wireless vehicle location assistance |
| US15/291,779 | 2016-10-12 |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CN107942318A CN107942318A (en) | 2018-04-20 |
| CN107942318B true CN107942318B (en) | 2023-10-31 |
Family
ID=61695372
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CN201710940213.6A Active CN107942318B (en) | 2016-10-12 | 2017-10-11 | Method and apparatus for wireless vehicle positioning assistance |
Country Status (3)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| US (1) | US10057728B2 (en) |
| CN (1) | CN107942318B (en) |
| DE (1) | DE102017123648A1 (en) |
Families Citing this family (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US10317517B1 (en) * | 2018-05-15 | 2019-06-11 | Delphi Technologies, Llc | Vehicle location device |
| EP3594911B1 (en) * | 2018-07-11 | 2023-04-19 | Aptiv Technologies Limited | Method for preventing security breaches of a passive remote keyless entry system |
| CN112534484A (en) * | 2018-08-16 | 2021-03-19 | 宝马股份公司 | Portable device, method and system for finding vehicle |
Citations (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN104244183A (en) * | 2014-09-17 | 2014-12-24 | 深圳市航盛电子股份有限公司 | Vehicle positioning system based on Bluetooth beacon |
| CN104703129A (en) * | 2013-12-10 | 2015-06-10 | 福特全球技术公司 | User proximity detection for activating vehicle convenience functions |
Family Cites Families (10)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JP2007334825A (en) * | 2006-06-19 | 2007-12-27 | Denso Corp | Vehicle position information annunciating system |
| CN101652942A (en) * | 2007-03-15 | 2010-02-17 | 罗盘自动跟踪器有限责任公司 | The equipment and the method that are used for direction finder |
| US9129454B2 (en) * | 2009-06-05 | 2015-09-08 | Lear Corporation | Passive entry system and method for a vehicle |
| US8493177B2 (en) * | 2010-01-29 | 2013-07-23 | Immersion Corporation | System and method of haptically communicating vehicle information from a vehicle to a keyless entry device |
| US8346310B2 (en) * | 2010-02-05 | 2013-01-01 | Ford Global Technologies, Llc | Method and apparatus for communication between a vehicle based computing system and a remote application |
| US8744482B2 (en) * | 2011-03-25 | 2014-06-03 | Lear Corporation | Apparatus and method for wireless device detection |
| US9019129B2 (en) * | 2013-02-21 | 2015-04-28 | Apple Inc. | Vehicle location in weak location signal scenarios |
| US9666005B2 (en) | 2014-02-14 | 2017-05-30 | Infinitekey, Inc. | System and method for communicating with a vehicle |
| US9373256B2 (en) * | 2014-11-06 | 2016-06-21 | Frogparking Limited | Vehicle presence detection system |
| US10101433B2 (en) * | 2015-05-01 | 2018-10-16 | GM Global Technology Operations LLC | Methods for locating a vehicle key fob |
-
2016
- 2016-10-12 US US15/291,779 patent/US10057728B2/en active Active
-
2017
- 2017-10-11 CN CN201710940213.6A patent/CN107942318B/en active Active
- 2017-10-11 DE DE102017123648.1A patent/DE102017123648A1/en not_active Withdrawn
Patent Citations (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN104703129A (en) * | 2013-12-10 | 2015-06-10 | 福特全球技术公司 | User proximity detection for activating vehicle convenience functions |
| CN104244183A (en) * | 2014-09-17 | 2014-12-24 | 深圳市航盛电子股份有限公司 | Vehicle positioning system based on Bluetooth beacon |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| US10057728B2 (en) | 2018-08-21 |
| CN107942318A (en) | 2018-04-20 |
| DE102017123648A1 (en) | 2018-04-12 |
| US20180103354A1 (en) | 2018-04-12 |
Similar Documents
| Publication | Publication Date | Title |
|---|---|---|
| US9975481B2 (en) | Method and apparatus for animal presence alert through wireless signal detection | |
| US9701305B2 (en) | Automatic valet parking | |
| US8467725B2 (en) | Initiating wireless communication between a vehicle and an access point | |
| US9459340B2 (en) | Method and system for a head unit application host for a radar detector | |
| CN107942318B (en) | Method and apparatus for wireless vehicle positioning assistance | |
| CN107182035B (en) | Wireless vehicle charging communication system and method using location-based services | |
| JP5538436B2 (en) | System and method for secondary communication device detection and connection | |
| US11064065B2 (en) | Method and apparatus for cellular network backup connectivity | |
| CN107093324B (en) | Method and apparatus for traffic light status warning | |
| US20170276764A1 (en) | A system for output of audio and/or visual content | |
| US20210312810A1 (en) | Method and apparatus for low frequency localization of surrounding vehicles | |
| JP2017092533A (en) | On-vehicle unit and user approach/separation estimation system | |
| JP2014093686A (en) | On-vehicle communication device | |
| JP6037194B2 (en) | On-board device, mobile terminal device | |
| WO2018092577A1 (en) | Object detection device for vehicles and object detection system for vehicles | |
| JPH08129063A (en) | Apparatus for sarching for object to be detected | |
| CN108834097B (en) | Method for autonomous vehicle selection when using a vehicle controller | |
| JP2011223150A (en) | On-vehicle radio terminal | |
| KR101602341B1 (en) | Method and system for prevent loss of smart phone in vehicle using AVN device | |
| JP2015145213A (en) | On-vehicle communication system | |
| US9002402B2 (en) | System for detecting usage of a wireless phone in an automobile | |
| KR20140052424A (en) | Method of activating a short distance radio communication with mobile phone and system thereof | |
| JP2016099831A (en) | On-vehicle apparatus | |
| JP2002340608A (en) | Portable navigation system and cellular phone having navigation system | |
| KR101592592B1 (en) | A smart key having a access point function for vehicle |
Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| PB01 | Publication | ||
| PB01 | Publication | ||
| SE01 | Entry into force of request for substantive examination | ||
| SE01 | Entry into force of request for substantive examination | ||
| GR01 | Patent grant | ||
| GR01 | Patent grant |